


Graduation

by wastefulreverie



Series: PhannieMay Shots 2019 [19]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Experimentation, Gen, Graduation, Healing, moving forward, post-reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 16:24:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18968896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wastefulreverie/pseuds/wastefulreverie
Summary: The graduating class was the first class to go through all four years since the ghost attacks had started; the first era of children who had to learn to duck under lunch tables and to anticipate bi-weekly evacuations. Fortunately, no students had been injured in attacks, even if they did interrupt their education. Everyone was alive. Well, almost everyone. But Danny… Danny Fenton was a special case.





	Graduation

It was a warm morning, warm enough that everyone who braved the outside at least wore shorts and short-sleeves underneath their heavy, crimson gowns. The small football field was swamped with people: students, teachers, families, _extended_ families - the whole shebang. A platform had been rolled out beneath the goalpost, facing rows and rows of red, fold-out chairs that contrasted darkly against the grass. Someone unsuspecting would assume the grass was so bright because of the sunlight, but Casper High students knew that it was because Jack Fenton had sprayed the football field with an ectoplasmic agent to 'prevent plant ghosts'.

Overall, Casper High wasn't really a normal high school. So in that sense, no one expected this to be a normal graduation ceremony. Not with such recent events, anyway.

The graduating class was the first class to go through all four years since the ghost attacks had started; the first era of children who had to learn to duck under lunch tables and to anticipate bi-weekly evacuations. Fortunately, no students had been injured in attacks, even if they did interrupt their education. _Everyone was alive_. Well, almost everyone. But Danny… Danny Fenton was a special case.

It'd been two months since many of his classmates had seen him. Initially when the GIW arrived at the school, it was on grounds of 'spectral investigation'.Everyone assumed that meant they wanted to observe the frequent ghost attacks at the school. Instead, twenty agents surrounded Lancer's fifth period English class, slapped ghost-proof cuffs onto Danny's wrists, and dragged him out of the school. He put up a hell of a fight, as did other students, but they inevitably managed to get their filthy hands on him.

It was only later that they announced it; that Danny was a hybrid, dual-natured. That he doubled as their hero, Danny Phantom. And by then, he had been legally seized by the government. He belonged to them.

No one knew the details of what they did to Danny at the GIW. But the rumors delved into every horrific, inhumane possibility. Breaking all his bones to see if he could heal, cutting off his toes to see if they would grow back like a lizard's, scooping out his eyes and putting them in jars, tearing off his tongue so he couldn't scream, branding him with tattoos so he could never _truly_ escape…. Forcing him to fight in a ring against other ghosts, barbarically demanding that the winner cannibalizes the loser.

Also, poisoning, drowning, starving, water-boarding, raping…. And the most probable and probably most grotesque rumor was suggested by his two best-friends: vivisection without any anesthesia. Surgically tearing his body open, probing through his organs, pushing and pulling and snapping and _sawing-_

It wasn't long before people started protesting their hero's capture. Students ditched classes, the police department worked overtime, and Mayor Masters inserted himself in the fiasco, doing his best to bring Danny home. Sam Manson and Tucker Foley headed the activism while the Fentons worked out the legal technicalities. The media did its best to stay on top of things, but as the weeks passed Danny's story was slowly becoming less and less relevant. Until one weekend, specifically the weekend of prom, everyone's hard work seemed to pay off.

It was a memorable moment when Sam stepped aside to answer her cellphone, shakily eyeing the dance floor when her expression suddenly slackened. Everyone turned when she cried out, dropping her phone, and taking off in a mad sprint towards the gym doors. At one point her dress caught under someone else's feet, but she barrelled forward, not giving a damn about her dress. Tucker lingered behind, picking her cellphone off the ground before following her. And then, everyone knew. Her eyes had been relieved, thankful.

Danny was going to be okay.

The next morning, there was a news report that he'd been admitted to the hospital. He suffered from severe starvation, a major spinal injury, several broken (but supernaturally healing) bones, and blood loss from 'surgery'. Which obviously meant vivisection, but nobody was ready to call it that - even the media. What mattered was that Danny was in recovery and for the foreseeable future, he was free.

That had been four weeks ago. In that time, he'd regained his health and most of his major injuries resolved themselves. Well, except his spinal injury; that was a battle that would take time to face, unlike the others. It was a medical miracle that a normal person would _never_ be able to come back from, but thanks to Danny's ghost-half he would be able to heal his spinal injury in the same duration that it would take a regular human to heal a broken leg. The doctors didn't understand it, but everyone was grateful.

Even though his recovery rate was incredible, nobody expected Danny Fenton to be at graduation. In fact, many students speculated that he would probably have to walk with the next graduating class - after all, it's not like Danny exactly had stellar grades in the first place.

So when the Fentons arrived five minutes before the ceremony, it was a shock for most people.

Jack parked the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle as close as he could to the football field, knocking over at least two trash cans in the process. In a hurry, Maddie jumped out from the passenger seat and rushed to get Danny's wheelchair out of the back of the vehicle. Bystanders who saw the clamor quickly began to spread the word of their unexpected arrival. By the time Maddie wheeled Danny onto the field, people had managed to clear a path for them.

Everyone's eyes followed him onto the field, surveying his appearance. For the most part, Danny looked good, healthy if not for the wheelchair. He was wearing his graduation gown and cap, the long material obscuring his arms and legs. It was definitely a good thing, given how much scar tissue he was probably covering up. His hair was sleek and his face didn't show any blemishes. His baby blue eyes were somewhat neutral, neither traumatized nor elated - some took that as a good sign. Others, didn't know what to think. But for everyone, the atmosphere felt more or less the same: captivated by Danny's mere presence.

On such a momentous, exciting day the silence was almost eerie; one could hear a pin _drop_.

Maddie steered Danny beside the front row of chairs facing the platform. She positioned his chair to make sure he could see, ignoring his swipes to push her away. In response, she ruffled his hair in a loving gesture before sprinting towards the bleachers. Danny stiffened in his chair as he assessed all the eyes trained on him. He smiled awkwardly, glancing between the stage and the girl on his left, who was doing her best not to stare.

Gradually, the whispers began to swell.

"How is he even here-"

"-thought his legs were amputated or something-"

"-did he make his grades up? Missed over two months-"

"-a _thing_ like that shouldn't be allowed in a school event-"

"-shut the fuck up, he's a _hero_ -"

"-he's actually okay!"

Danny did his best to ignore the murmuring around him, the hundreds of voices softly talking about _him_. He wrapped his hands in the material of his gown and stared straight ahead. He made it to graduation, that's all that mattered…. People were going to say things about him anywhere he did or didn't go; he just had to take it all with a grain of salt. People just weren't used to his secret yet. That and it was a pretty big shock when he was released from the GIW as injured as he was….

_This would go away._

"Are you okay?" someone implored.

He turned. The girl beside him was looking at him with genuine concern rather than blatant curiosity. She looked familiar, so he assumed that they had shared a class together at some point, but he couldn't remember what.

Danny forced a smile, "I'm good, thanks. Just… a bit overwhelmed at the attention? I'll get used to it."

She nodded, blushing for a moment. "Yeah," she moved a strand of hair out of her, "nobody really expected you to make it today. It's good you did, though. I'm guessing this means no summer school?"

He nodded, ignoring the soreness in his neck at the simple movement. "Yeah… I took some of my finals in the hospital. I missed a bunch of stuff but they figured that I had enough credits to graduate - so no summer school, and _thankfully_ no GED."

"That's good," she agreed. "You deserve to graduate with the rest of us."

He laughed, "Thanks. It still doesn't feel… still doesn't feel like I made it here. It doesn't feel _real_." Nothing had since his capture. "But I guess it'll sink in later."

She softened, "If it makes you feel any better, it doesn't feel real for the rest of us either." She looked to the stage where Lancer had taken the podium, silencing the entire field. Before he spoke, she whispered abruptly, "This is just trippy."

He couldn't agree more.

Lancer started his speech about change and how their class was one that he would severely miss. How their class was the first Freshman class that had to endure daily ghost attacks and was courageous enough to take a stand, each in their own way. That they were all brilliant, intelligent, and unique. And that he would miss them all, more than he had missed any other graduating class. It was a heartfelt summation, one that unexpectedly touched each and every student in the crowd. And then, he handed the microphone off the Principal Ishiyama.

She echoed Lancer's speech in her own words before allowing the Valedictorian (Mikey, of all people) to give a speech. Then, the podium was lent to a handful of students who had signed up to give their own graduation speeches. One of which, was Sam.

"At the beginning of Freshman year," she started. "I had two best-friends. One, as we all know _very_ well…" she paused, building anticipation, "has a hopeless infatuation with technology and meat that I will _never_ understand and has had my back for years. And then," she added, "I guess my other friend is Danny Phantom, or whatever."

The audience laughed and Sam smiled, grinning into the microphone with ease.

"Freshman year for everyone is hard, and I'm not going to degrade anyone else's struggles by comparing my experiences to others. But for us, High School was especially hard with our additional activities. Well, you know I mean ghost hunting," she shrugged. "I've been through a lot between now and Freshman year, I've seen and experienced a lot of changes. At the beginning of Freshman year, I was obstinate, stubborn, and close-minded towards anyone that didn't agree with me. I didn't know what it meant to truly stand up for someone else, I didn't know what it meant to believe in others - I only knew how to believe in myself.

"I've changed a lot since Freshman year, as has everyone else. Sure, I can say that I've changed because I'm older or - or because now I help fight ghosts. But that would be an overgeneralization. Truly, I have been able to become a better person because of the people around me. Even though I act like I dislike many of you, I've honestly found inspiration in others that have allowed me to be who I am.

"Such as when my grades began to slip at the beginning of Sophomore year. I didn't ask for help, refused help, and tried to hide my struggle from my friends and teachers. I was convinced that _I_ was the only person who could help me, that I was the only person who I could _depend_ on. But when I fought and fought to be ignored, left behind, my teachers here at Casper High were the ones who pulled me up again. Who supported me. And I hadn't even asked.

"And that's just one example of how this school has changed me for the better," she continued. "I have witnessed bravery in our students and staff so often that it just _baffles_ me. So many of you that I have disrespected for not being 'unique' enough, for following the 'trends' are some of the most selfless individuals I've met. I've seen bullies grow up into people who stand in the way of kids who'd normally be their targets during ghost attacks. I've seen 'shallow' girls jump on the backs of government agents when they try to arrest a classmate. I've seen my best friend go through things that would make anyone else break, and still stand back up and fight for the people of this town. I've seen so much support in this school that Freshman me disregarded because I was too caught up in my own head.

"All of us have changed in a way for the better since Freshman year. And I think that's a beautiful thing," she concluded. And the field erupted in applause, enchanted by her honest yet touching words. Sam stepped away from the podium, slowly made her way off the the platform, and headed back to her seat. As she passed Danny, she playfully poked him in the shoulder, saying nothing.

Sam's speech was hard to follow. Only one more speaker succeeded her, and quickly wrapped up their spiel before Lancer returned to the podium. He placed a white binder on the podium and announced that the graduation was about to begin. And from there, he started calling names. The girl beside Danny was first: Abigail Abellera. She stood from her chair, straightened her gown, and shakily trekked up the stairs to the platform, crossing the stage, shaking Mr. Lancer's and Mrs. Ishiyama's hands, and leaving with her diploma. More names were called… "Henry Astor… Dashiel Baxter… Julia Carmichael… Tyrell Daves… Scarlett Esplin… Olivia Felder…."

And then suddenly, it occured to Danny how unfortunate it was that his surname started with the sixth letter in the alphabet.

Mr. Lancer hesitated when he read his name, "... Daniel Fenton."

And there it was again, the murmurs. People whispering about him once again. _Shake it off_ , _ignore them_.

Danny rolled his chair forward. It was difficult to pull off since he was treading against grass, but he could manage it. It was possible. He slowly approached the side of the platform when he - and everyone else - realized the problem. There were stairs to the platform, not a ramp. His wheelchair couldn't go up the platform at all. _Shit shit shit_. This was so embarrassing, he didn't want to halt the ceremony-

 _Then don't stop the ceremony_ , a voice reasoned. _You don't_ need _your wheelchair to get across that stage. You don't even_ need _to walk. Just-_

Float.

It was an obvious solution. He didn't have anything to hide anymore, everyone knew he had powers. He wasn't going to act incapable.

( _I'm not going to be a burden, can't be a burden - can't be-)_

And after all, Danny didn't want to stretch out this ceremony just because the stupid government had decided that they wanted to break his lower spine.

He let go of his grip on the wheels and leaned forward. With a fierce tug on his core, Danny was upwards in a moment. He'd been practicing using his powers in his human form lately since his ghost form was out of commision for the moment, until his Mom and Dad deemed that his core was stable enough to transform. The crowd gasped when they registered what he had done, that he had just up and levitated out of his wheelchair like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Louder, _louder_ whispering. If they could even be considered whispers anymore.

Lancer looked like someone had struck him in the face, but nodded encouragingly towards Danny. Even though he was perturbed by Danny's sudden power exhibition, he waved his diploma in a 'come hither' motion.

So, Danny floated forward, hovering at least two feet above the stage. He caught a glimpse of the crowd and assessed their mixed reactions; some people were downright shocked, disgusted, angry; others - most - were entranced, captivated, curious, and humored.

 _Just… just float over to Lancer, shake his hand, and take your diploma,_ Danny told himself. _It'll all be fine. It_ has _to be fine._

He stopped in front of Lancer, his gown seemingly swirling around his limp ankles. Lancer stood there for a moment, waiting. Someone coughed loudly and Danny realized that Lancer was handing his hand out to shake. Danny blinked rapidly and almost hit himself upside the head - _stupid Fenton, shake his hand!_

Danny shook Lancer's hand. The motion caused his gown to slide up his arm for a moment, revealing a nasty cluster of scars six inches below his elbow. Once Danny realized they were exposed, he shook Lancer's hand vigorously and quickly, trying to shake his sleeve back down so no one saw. Lancer let go of Danny's grip and slowly handed him his diploma, taking his sweet time.

"You earned this," Lancer breathed, doing his best not to let the microphone catch his words. His eyes expressed unbridled pride that Danny didn't know how to accept. "I'm proud of you."

Danny blinked in response, taking his diploma in his own hands and numbly floating from his teacher to his principal. Ishiyama smiled at him, patiently. He shook her hand, and tried to subtly return to his wheelchair, all the way on the other side of the stage. Danny ceased his levitation and slumped into his wheelchair harshly, sending sharp tremors of pain from his spine throughout the rest of his body. Right… his spinal injury… _duh_.

By the time he returned to his seat, Lancer had called the next graduate up to the stage. Seth Fisher shook Lancer's hand much faster than Danny had, swiftly escaping the audience's attention. Unlike he had - basically stealing the entire show by displaying his powers in the flashiest way possible.

That was going to mortify him forever.

"You got this," Abigail whispered, sensing his panic.

She was right. This shouldn't bother him. But the more and more he dwelled on those judgemental faces in the audience-

_"_ _Tucker Foley."_

Danny readverted his attention back to the stage. _Tucker_. His best-friend was walking across the stage now. This was something that they had anticipated for… almost their entire lives. Graduation - the end of their education. The beginning of the real world. And now it was Tucker's moment, although fleeting, _it was his_.

He shouldn't dwell about what people thought about his powers. They helped Danny get to the end, they bridged the gap between his life before high school and his future. Even though everyone knew about them now… they couldn't change the fact that Danny was Phantom and now he was free. Free to live the rest of his life as himself. They couldn't stop him. High school had taught him many lessons, and like Sam said, he had changed _so_ _much_ since Freshman year.

He wasn't going to let others condemn him for changing and pursuing his future. Especially the goddamn Guys In White. Because now he was ready for his next chapter and whatever that held.

"Congratulations to the Class of 2008!"

Things had changed severely in the past two months since his capture and that was okay. He was prepared for what was next.


End file.
